Self-adjusting shirt collar support

ABSTRACT

A paper shirt board around which a shirt is folded is provided with an upwardly folded flap to which is adjustably attached a transparent plastic shirt collar support. The collar support is inserted beneath the collar of a shirt and is provided with tabs which slide in slots in the flap of the board so that the support may assume the size of the collar of the shirt folded about the board. In another embodiment, elongated tabs are provided on the flap which insert into slots at the ends of the collar support. The collar support and shirt board are symmetrically designed, and a support centers on the front collar button of the shirt.

United States Patent- 1191 Lojinger SELF-ADJUSTING SHIRT COLLAR SUPPORT [76] Inventor: Robert I. Lojinger, 6405 Shadyglen,

Cincinnati, Ohio 45243 [22] Filed: May 25, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 256,706

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS Norway 223/83 Akers 223/71 1 Wachtel 223/83 June 12, 1973 Primary ExaminerGeo. V. Larkin A ttorneyJames S. Hight, Herbert C. Brinkman, A.

Ralph Navaro, Jr. et al.

[57] ABSTRACT A paper shirt board around which a shirt is folded is provided with an upwardly folded flap to which is adjustably attached a transparent plastic shirt collar support. The collar support is inserted beneath the collar of a shirt and is provided with tabs which slide in slots in the flap of the board so that the support may assume the size of the collar of the shirt folded about the board. In another embodiment, elongated tabs are provided on the flap which insert into slots at the ends of the collar support. The collar support and shirt board are symmetrically designed, and a support centers on the front collar button of the shirt.

9 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures SELF-ADJUSTING SHIRT COLLAR SUPPORT The present invention relates to shirt boards and particularly to shirt collar supports in combination therewith. r

Shirt makers which supply shirts to retail clothing stores normally package the shirts with some sort of a support which retains the shirt in a neat folded condition in shipping and also for display in the stores. Many launderers will do the same with freshly cleaned and ironed shirts. The supports used consist of what is commonly known as a shirt board about which the shirt is folded. Additional support structure is commonly provided to support the collar and prevent it from being crushed in shipment or while on display in the stores. The forms used for the collar supports are basically two. One type is inserted inside the collar to urge the collar outward, and the other type is inserted beneath the collar. The latter type has the advantage of being invisible or practically invisible, and for this reason, it is more desirable for display in the stores. Many of these beneath-the-collar supports extend around the front of the collar where they are exposed to the view of the customers. To improve the appearance of the package in this region, transparent supports are sometimes used. Also, other types of supports have been provided which extend only around the side and back portions of the collar so that no portion is visible at the front. When this is done, it is usually desirable to employ a separate piece of material such as a butterfly type support which clips over the button or front portion of the collar to support the shirt in this region. This support is sometimes made of transparent material which may be left in position while the shirt is on display, and sometimes made of paper material which is usually removed by the merchant prior to display.

In addition to the aesthetic and structural properties of such shirt collar supports, economy of design and assembly is also important. It is always desirable to minimize the amount and cost of the materials employed. This consideration usually motivates the adoption of designs which will result in the generation of less scrap material when the blanks are formed. This usually means that long appendages, such as the shirt collar support, not be made integral with the shirt board unit in that they normally require larger blanks from which must be trimmed more material which cannot be used.

On the other hand, where prior art structures have provided two-piece assemblies, these have not been securely interconnected. For example, in some structures, the collar support was inserted beneath the front of the collar and extended around the sides having its ends free. While this arrangement required no adjustment to accommodate collar size, frequently these free ends slip out from beneath the collar when the shirt is handled. Also, and more frequently, the flap on the shirt board slips out from beneath the collar. With the present invention, the flap and band are locked in place without sacrificing the ability to accommodate various collar sizes.

Another consideration is in the providing of collar supports which can accommodate shirts of different sizes. Normally, supports of different sizes are provided which must be manufactured and stocked by the shirt maker and properly matched with the size of shirt which is being packaged. This adds inconvenience and cost to the packaging operation. To overcome this, several proposals have been made to provide adjustable shirt collar supports. These have normally required a plurality of tab and slot arrangements which must be selected individually by the assembler. Many of these are clumsy to assemble and do require the manual setting of the proper selected size.

Other adjustable type collar supports which hav been proposed are asymmetrical and adjust only on one side of the collar. The normal design of a shirt collar requires that the support be shaped generally in a symmetrical design about the front center portion of the collar. For this reason, it is desirable, where adjustable shirt collar supports are provided, that the adjustment be symmetrical on both sides of the shirt.

Furthermore, the requirement of most adjustable shirt collar supports that the assembler must select the proper size and adjust the support accordingly places a severe restriction on the ease in which the package can be assembled. For this reason, it is desirable that the shirt collar support be self-adjustable to the proper size, and further, that it be self-adjustable in both direction.

Accordingly, it is a principle objective of the present invention to provide a self-adjusting shirt collar support which can accommodate shirts of varying sizes.

It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a shirt board and collar combination in which the board and collar support may be made of different materials so that a stiffer, economical cardboard can be used for the main portion of the shirt board support while the collar may be made of a transparent plastic material which is more suitable for omthe-shelf display.

It is a further objective of the present invention to provide, in such a collar support, a design which can be manufacturedwith a minimum of material waste.

An additional objective of the present invention is to provide such a support in which symmetrical adjustment can be achieved through a shirt collar support which may center on the front portion of the collar and from there adjust to accommodate the varying collar sizes of the shirts.

Accordingly, the present invention is predicated in part upon the concept of providing a shirt collar support which is attached at both ends thereof to the upwardly folded flap of the shirt board in such a manner that the attachment means provide continuous bidirectional slidability. In this manner, a self-adjustable collar support is provided which requires a minimum amount of the assemblers time. The present invention is further predicated upon the concept of providing a symmetrically designed self-adjustable collar support which allows for the adjustment of the collar about a centering means at the front of the collar support.

The means provided for allowing the self-adjustability of the collar are a slot and tab arrangement. Either the slot or the tab is carried by the flap of the shirt board while the other of these elements is carried by the collar band support. The tab inserts in the slot, and one of the elements, either the tab or slot, is elongated to provide for the slidable engagement with respect to the other element. The elongated member may be either in the form of an elongated tab which slides through a narrow slot or short tab which slides in an elongated slot. The tabs and slots may be carried by either the flap or band. The tabs may be so arranged so as to permit or prevent the easy removal of the hand through a pulling of the band at the forward portion of the collar. Sometimes, it is desirable to remove the band for display and to provide for easy removal in such a case would be therefore preferred.

The principal advantage of such a design is that it permits great ease in assembly, requiring that the assembler handle only one form and size ofcollar support for all shirt sizes. It is an additional advantage that the assembler be able to very simply attach the assembly and allow it to adjust itself to the proper size and position. A further advantage is that it allows the use of a transparent plastic band with a paper board, and in addition, provides parts which can be manufactured with a minimum amount of wasted material.

These and other objectives and advantages of the present invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description of the drawings illustrating some of the preferred forms of a shirt board and adjustable collar assembly embodying the principals of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a shirt folded upon the shirt board having the self-adjusting collar support of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating one embodiment of the assembled adjustable shirt collar support and shirt board employed in the package of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the collar support portion of the assembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an alternative embodiment similar to that shown in FIG. 3 but wherein the tab structure is designed for easy removal of the collar support.

Referring to FIG. 1, a shirt is illustrated folded upon a shirt board and collar support assembly of the present invention. The shirt includes a body portion 11 and a collar 12. The only portion of the shirt board and collar support which is visible from outside of the folded shirt is the front portion 21 of the band 22 of the collar support.

This band 22 is transparent and essentially invisible so that the band may be used in shirts on display in stores without detracting from the aesthetic appearance of the package.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the construction of the shirt board and collar support assembly can be seen. This assembly includes a shirt board 25 which is adapted to be placed against the back of the shirt so that it may be folded therearound. The shirt board 25 includes a upwardly folded rear flap 26 which inserts beneath the back portion of a shirt collar. The band of the collar support 22 is shown in the position in which it will insert beneath the collar 12 (FIG. 1). This band is symmetrically designed about the front portion 21 which has formed therein a centering notch 28 which fits around the upper front button of the shirt. The band 22 is also provided with a shallow V-shape notch 29 at the upper portion of the front 21 thereof to conform to the contour of the shirt collar in' this region.

The band 22 is attached to the flap 26 through means illustrated generally at 31 and 32. These means include.

tabs 33 and 34 at each end of the band 22 which insert in elongated slots 35 and 36 formed in the flap 26 and oriented in the direction of the circumference of a closed loop formed about the neck of the shirt. The slots 35 and 36 are smooth, parallel-sided slots designed so that the tabs 33 and 34 may slide freely in either direction therein. In this manner, the loop formed by the flap 26 and band 22 is self-adjustable as to size.

The inside and outside portions of collar 12(FIG. 1) will determine the size of this loop and force the adjusting means to assume a position which corresponds to this size when it is folded about the support band 22.

The attaching means 31 and 32 may take alternative forms as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Referring to FIG. 3, the flap 26 is provided with tabs 41 and 42 rather than slots as shown in the previous figure. These tabs insert in slots 43 and 44 formed in the opposite ends of the band 22. The tabs 41 and 42 are elongated so as to per.- mit slidability of the slots 43 and 44 thereon and, thus, allow for the adjustability of the loop size formed by the band 22 and the flap 26 about the neck of the shirt. In the embodiment shown in this figure, as with the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 described above, the loop will be limited in its maximum dimension due to the slot 43 and 44 approaching a limit at the bases 47 and 48 of the tabs 41 and 42.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4, where it is desirable that the band 22 be easily removable from the outside of the shirt, the tabs 51 and 52 are designed to point toward the ends of the band so that when the band is pulled upwardly at the front portion 21 thereof, the band will slide off of the ends 53 and 54 of the tabs 51 and 52.

The bands shown as symmetrically designed in the FIGS. 2 through 4 will center about the notches 28 when positioned on the button in front of the shirt collar, and each end of the band will self-adjust to the shirt collar size maintaining the assembly in a symmetrical form.

It will be appreciated that other arrangements may accomplish this result according to the present invention. Such arrangements may, for example, take the form of simple slots in the flap 26 with elongated tabs projecting from the ends of the bands 22. This is not particularly preferable in that normally it will require that the band 22 be formed of a longer blank than with the embodiments described above, and therefore, this arrangement may result in slightly greater material cost.

In assembling the structure described above, the assembler may first fold the shirt about the shirt board 25 placing the rear portion of the collar 12 over the flap 26 and then inserting under the collar the band 22 and attaching the tab in slot to the flap 26. By then folding the collar over the band 22, the natural size of the collar will cause the ends of the band 22 to slide to the position with respect to the flap 26 so that the loop formed by the band under the flap 26 essentially corresponds to the size of the collar. This simple assembly coupled with the economy of material and elimination of the need to stock different sizes of supports, plus the ability to use different materials for the collar support and the shirt board provide considerable advantage over the prior art devices.

What is claimed is:

1. A self-adjusting shirt collar support comprising a shirt board adapted to receive a shirt folded thereabout,

a flap connected to said shirt board on a fold line,

said flap being adapted to fold upwardly for positioning beneath the back portion of the collar of said shirt,

a separate neckband adapted for positioning beneath said collar around the side and front portions thereof to form a closed loop with said flap when said flap is folded upwardly,

a centering notch defined in said neckband and adapted to receive the collar button of said shirt for centering said neckband with respect to the front of said collar, and

attaching means carried partially by said band at 2. The collar support of claim 1 wherein said attaching means includes tab elements and slot elements, one type of said elements being carried by said flap at each end thereof and the other type being carried by said band at each end thereof, and one type of said elements being elongated along the circumference of said loop.

3. A self-adjusting shirt collar support comprising a shirt board adapted to receive a shirt folded thereabout,

a flap connected to said shirt board. on a fold line,

said flap being adapted to fold upwardly for positioning beneath the back portion of the collar of said shirt, and

a separate neckband adapted for positioning beneath said collar around the side and front portions thereof, said band being connectable at each end thereof to said flap to form a closed loop with said flap,

at each end of said band and said flap, one of said flap and said band having a slot therein and the other having a tab thereon,

at each end of said band and said flap, one of said slot and tab being elongated along the circumference of said loop,

at each end of said band and said flap, said tab being insertable into said slot to attach said band to said flaps, said tab being continuously and bidirectionally slidable in said slot whereby the size of said loop is self-adjustable to the size of said collar.

4. The collar support of claim 3 wherein said slot is formed in each flap.

5. The collar support of claim 4 wherein each slot is elongated.

6. The collar support of claim 3 wherein each slot is formed in said band.

7. The collar support of claim 6 wherein each tab is elongated.

8. The collar support of claim 7 wherein each tab points away from said band.

9. The collar support of claim 7 wherein each tab points toward said band. 

1. A self-adjusting shirt collar support comprising a shirt board adapted to receive a shirt folded thereabout, a flap connected to said shirt board on a fold line, said flap being adapted to fold upwardly for positioning beneath the back portion of the collar of said shirt, a separate neckband adapted for positioning beneath said collar around the side and front portions thereof to form a closed loop with said flap when said flap is folded upwardly, a centering notch defined in said neckband and adapted to receive the collar button of said shirt for centering said neckband with respect to the front of said collar, and attaching means carried partially by said band at each end of said band and partially by said flap at each end of said flap for attaching opposite ends of said band to said flap, said attaching means being structured to provide free slidability for both ends of said neckband relative to said flap so as to allow the neckband''s closed loop configuration to be selfadjustable into the size dictated by the size of the collar of said shirt and into an essentially symmetrical relationship with respect to the front of the collar of said shirt.
 2. The collar support of claim 1 wherein said attaching means includes tab elements and slot elements, one type of said elements being carried by said flap at each end thereof and the other type being carried by said band at each end thereof, and one type of said elements being elongated along the circumference of said loop.
 3. A self-adjusting shirt collar support comprising A shirt board adapted to receive a shirt folded thereabout, a flap connected to said shirt board on a fold line, said flap being adapted to fold upwardly for positioning beneath the back portion of the collar of said shirt, and a separate neckband adapted for positioning beneath said collar around the side and front portions thereof, said band being connectable at each end thereof to said flap to form a closed loop with said flap, at each end of said band and said flap, one of said flap and said band having a slot therein and the other having a tab thereon, at each end of said band and said flap, one of said slot and tab being elongated along the circumference of said loop, at each end of said band and said flap, said tab being insertable into said slot to attach said band to said flaps, said tab being continuously and bi-directionally slidable in said slot whereby the size of said loop is self-adjustable to the size of said collar.
 4. The collar support of claim 3 wherein said slot is formed in each flap.
 5. The collar support of claim 4 wherein each slot is elongated.
 6. The collar support of claim 3 wherein each slot is formed in said band.
 7. The collar support of claim 6 wherein each tab is elongated.
 8. The collar support of claim 7 wherein each tab points away from said band.
 9. The collar support of claim 7 wherein each tab points toward said band. 